Fasteners are an important part of sporting. Particularly in extreme applications, such as skiing, snowboarding, sailing, climbing, skydiving, bungee jumping, mountaineering, etc., having reliable fasteners for clothing and equipment can mean the difference between life and death. However, standard fasteners of the industry all have some kind of weakness that makes them less than ideal. Snaps, although great for party shirts, tend to come undone under heavy loads and high winds. Buttons pop off or break after prolonged use or in extreme conditions. Zippers are notorious for jamming at the most inopportune moments. Hook-and-loop fasteners tend to wear out over time.
In addition, standard fasteners are often difficult for people who have difficulty with fine motor skills. In particular, there are many people, including, but not limited to, young children, stroke recoverees, people with neurological disorders (e.g. Cerebral Palsy and Parkinson's), people with ALS, persons with advanced Dementia, people with multiple sclerosis, injured veterans, people with arthritis, and amputees, that find it difficult to manipulate buttons, snaps, zippers, and hook-and-loop fasteners.
Thus there is a need in the industry for a fastener that is durable, secure, and immune to jamming, while still being easy to use for all people of varying abilities. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be explained and will become obvious to one skilled in the art through the summary of the invention that follows.